Page 276 - The Social Animal

258 The Social Animal

seem to have an inborn tendency to respond to certain provocative
stimuli by striking out against the perpetrator. Whether the aggres-
sive tendency is actually expressed in overt action is a function of a
complex interplay between these innate propensities, a variety of
learned inhibitory responses, and the precise nature of the social sit-
uation. For example, although it is true that many organisms, from
insects to apes, will attack an animal that invades their territory, it is
a gross oversimplification to imply, as some popular writers have, that
humans are likewise programmed to protect their territory and be-
have aggressively in response to specific stimuli.
There is much evidence to support Berkowitz’s contention that,
among humans, innate patterns of behavior are infinitely modifiable
and flexible. Human cultures vary dramatically on this dimension.
For example, there are many so-called primitive tribes, like the Lep-
chas of Sikkim, the Pygmies of Central Africa, and the Arapesh of
New Guinea, that manage to live in cooperative friendliness, both
within their own tribe and in their relations with others. Among
13
these people, acts of aggression are extremely rare. Meanwhile, in a
more “civilized” society like our own, our elected leaders choose to
spend a huge percentage of our resources on military hardware and
personnel, family violence is commonplace, drive-by shootings have
become a tragic aspect of urban life, rampage killings take place in
our high schools, and in several parts of the world suicide bombers
have emerged as a fact of life.
The infinite variety of ways in which humans can modify their
aggressive tendencies is highlighted by the fact that, within a given
culture, changing social conditions can lead to dramatic changes in
aggressive behavior. For example, the Iroquois Indians lived in peace
for hundreds of years as a hunting nation. But in the 17th century,
growing trade with the newly arrived Europeans brought the Iro-
quois into direct competition with the neighboring Hurons over furs
(to trade for manufactured goods). A series of wars developed—and
the Iroquois became ferocious and successful warriors, not because of
uncontrollable aggressive instincts, but because a social change pro-
duced increases in competition. 14
In our own society, there are some striking regional differences
in aggressive behavior and in the kinds of events that trigger vio-
lence. For example, Richard Nisbett has shown that homicide rates
for white southern males are substantially higher than those for